Good times with good people! I only got to join for the Friday afternoon ride on Kiwanis/Holbert, but it was definitely a fun crew. I managed to twist my ankle on a short ride on Saturday, and my grapefruit-like ankle the next morning suggested that National would probably not be in the cards for Sunday. Bummer.

I will also say that this was one of the purest concentrations of bike geekery I've yet experienced, intense enough to kill mere mortal men. Luckily, we had all clearly spent many years building up an immunity.

That's good wordmanship there, John. Laughed out loud when I read this, but so true. I spent a whole paragraph trying to explain the same thing and you nailed it in one sentence. Nice work.

And it was good meeting you. Thanks for the tutorial and company while climbing Kiwanis. Sorry to hear about the twisted ankle and sorry you didn't get to join us for more of the gathering.

I much prefer steep setting for all of our riding, There is nothing here where the slack setting provides enough of an advantage for me to justify changing it. Having the extra BB height and pedal clearance is useful.

I think most people were running in the steep setting

I goofed on this. I always ride in 66, as was the case on Friday and Saturday. I also ride with a 38/26 ring combo and skid guard beneath that. All of this made for low ground clearance on a few sections(namely the entry to spiral staircase), which played on my confidence a bit. I made it thru jackhammer, but just barely.

I switched it to 67 mode on Sunday and felt much more confident with the clearance. Go figure. It's amazing what one little bolt and a half inch of clearance can do for you.

The first thing I did when I got home was order up a traditional bash to cover a smaller gear combo, 36/24, and I will try out the Ronnie Ring, to go with my XT clutch derailleur. All this should add up to a simplified drivetrain(ie: no actual chainguide), more ground clearance, and slightly easier low end gearing.

Oh ya, and a new rotor, from the just-below-jackhammer incident.

All things considered, I can easily see how a 32/22 might be the optimal combo for SoMo, for maximum ground clearance. Or perhaps a 1x system based around 32t for the stronger rider.

I goofed on this. I always ride in 66, as was the case on Friday and Saturday. I also ride with a 38/26 ring combo and skid guard beneath that. All of this made for low ground clearance on a few sections(namely the entry to spiral staircase), which played on my confidence a bit. I made it thru jackhammer, but just barely.

I switched it to 67 mode on Sunday and felt much more confident with the clearance. Go figure. It's amazing what one little bolt and a half inch of clearance can do for you.

The first thing I did when I got home was order up a traditional bash to cover a smaller gear combo, 36/24, and I will try out the+++ Ronnie Ring+++, to go with my XT clutch derailleur. All this should add up to a simplified drivetrain(ie: no actual chainguide), more ground clearance, and slightly easier low end gearing.

Oh ya, and a new rotor, from the just-below-jackhammer incident.

All things considered, I can easily see how a 32/22 might be the optimal combo for SoMo, for maximum ground clearance. Or perhaps a 1x system based around 32t for the stronger rider.

This is made by one of the Phoenix locals & Chilcotin rider, Ronnie. All the Phoenix crew swear by them.

Ronnie is an amazing engineer/welder/fabricator that makes some of the most precise gadgets ever. He once made a sweet titanium emergency derailleur hanger that was held simply in the dropouts.

The Ronnie Ring simply bolts to the frame side of your granny ring, completely eliminating any chance your chain can drop. Everyone one here runs them, and I wouldn't be caught dead without it. Chain guides tend not to do well here as clearance is an issue.

I goofed on this. I always ride in 66, as was the case on Friday and Saturday. I also ride with a 38/26 ring combo and skid guard beneath that. All of this made for low ground clearance on a few sections(namely the entry to spiral staircase), which played on my confidence a bit. I made it thru jackhammer, but just barely.

I switched it to 67 mode on Sunday and felt much more confident with the clearance. Go figure. It's amazing what one little bolt and a half inch of clearance can do for you.

The first thing I did when I got home was order up a traditional bash to cover a smaller gear combo, 36/24, and I will try out the Ronnie Ring, to go with my XT clutch derailleur. All this should add up to a simplified drivetrain(ie: no actual chainguide), more ground clearance, and slightly easier low end gearing.

Oh ya, and a new rotor, from the just-below-jackhammer incident.

All things considered, I can easily see how a 32/22 might be the optimal combo for SoMo, for maximum ground clearance. Or perhaps a 1x system based around 32t for the stronger rider.

I could tell you hanging up a bit on the lower section of GC, where it gets real chunky. Having a 38T ring with chainguide easily took away an 1" of clearance, not to mention the slack setting.

I really like the steep setting as the bike handles much like my older Endo, and I can compress the bike easier in the corners. I also feel more centered.

I run a 32/22 combo here, as most people do. Not many people are running single rings, certainly doable, but it would make some of the tech sections less enjoyable. I'm not sure I have the leg strength to run a single ring anyway.

When we were building bikes Thursday, the guys took a look at my bashring and wondered what happened to it. I think they get it now

[QUOTE=Skins;PS: first words out of my 2-year old's mouth when he saw me in the light: "Daddy has an owwwwie!". Yes, daddy has lots of owwwwies. [/QUOTE]

I think even my 3 year old daughter has learned to mostly disregard my injuries. When she was younger she was look very concerned when she saw my "owwies." Sometimes the first thing she'd ask me when I got back from a ride was "Did you fall?" Now she seems only mildly interested in my bruises, etc., and usually just asks "Did you have a good ride, Dada?"

That's good wordmanship there, John. Laughed out loud when I read this, but so true. I spent a whole paragraph trying to explain the same thing and you nailed it in one sentence. Nice work.

And it was good meeting you. Thanks for the tutorial and company while climbing Kiwanis. Sorry to hear about the twisted ankle and sorry you didn't get to join us for more of the gathering.

Thanks for the kind words, Kent! I enjoyed sessioning Kiwanis with you and Skins. The fact that you were giving the climbing on Kiwanis a go, even after climbing 24th street (and on a DT to boot!) says a lot about your abilities! Hopefully the next time I'm in Ely it'll be to ride rather than to repair two flat tires on my car...

was there any discussion of the preference for high angle/BB for SOMO? were people riding what they normally ride, whatever that was? w/ the Chilcotin's option, it'd be interesting to hear since everybody was riding exactly the same stuff.

I'm probably alone in the continued preference of the slacker HA. I like the balance I get being lower to the ground and the xtra forgiveness to keep me from going OTB. I'm already used to bashing through rock gardens back at home so this wasn't much different.

I was running a 1x10 with 34 upfront and 36 back and it was fine. Sure I suffered on some of the climbs but I would've suffered no matter what gearing I had. Besides, I prefer torque over spin anyday.

I have a Trutativ (MRP G2 clone) chaine guide w/taco w/the bottom glider removed. I'm also running a Saint small cage der. w/clutch to keep that chain tight. This worked fine for me but if I rode this terrain all the time the taco would not last very long.